Integrating young ducks into existing flock

[Chick_a_dee]

Okay so my 2 Buff Orps hardly qualify as a flock but we have 2 more Buff Orp Ducklings (Drakeling and a Duckling) that are now 6 weeks old and massive. I'd love to put them out with the big girls pretty well now, this is around the time we put the big girls out and its warm enough out that they could stay out all night (and they're feathering out really nicely too). How would I go about mashing the 2 little flocks together? My duck coop is not especially large and the best I could do for seperating them is putting a small wire dog crate in there for the ducklings to go in for a couple days. My other concern is that the 2 big Buff Orps are currently [team] brooding a clutch of infertile eggs. Do you think they'll attack the babies? (who are quite large). I have had the ducklings in a pen outside and the big ducks have come to see them and seemed super interested and infact wanted to get in there with them and be friendies.

 

[duckyfromoz]

I always let my adults see the babies first for awhile through a fence to gauge interest- before letting them loose together. Sometime it takes a few days- sometimes I can let the younger ones mingle with the group on the second day. Since yours have met through a fence- you could now let the younger ones out with the adults- with supervision and see how they go. If you can have another person with you for the first introduction - it will make it easier to separate them again if there is trouble- but from what you have written- Its sounds like you should have a fairly easy transaction. There may be a little rough housing- but it shouldnt last long. If it goes on for more than 15 minutes- or is too rough- separate them and try again the next day.